Paddle Dash event, presented by Dale Sorensen Real Estate, highlighted the importance of the Indian River Lagoon

More than 2 dozen paddlers mounted their boards and kayaks and made their way around Memorial Island, all for a day of fun and to raise money and awareness for the Keep Indian River Beautiful organization. The event presented by Dale Sorensen Real Estate (DSRE) and hosted by Paddles by the Sea, was held August 10 and included 3 categories, including Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced courses as well as Sprint Racing.

The Paddle Dash is a family friendly, fun, and exciting Paddle Board/Kayak race. One-hundred percent of the proceeds from this event go to the Lagoon Friendly Lawn program of Keep Indian River Beautiful. Keep Indian River Beautiful board member and DSRE sales agent Troy Westover said the idea came at a board meeting one day. "We were trying to come up with an event that would help us draw attention to the health of our precious Indian River, and make it fun for all at the same time,” said Westover.

According to Keep Indian River Beautiful’ s website, “the Indian River Lagoon is one of the most biologically diverse estuaries in North America, providing a home for more than 4,000 species and contributing $7 billion per year to the local economy.”

“This annual event highlights the importance of protecting our waterway, the Indian River Lagoon,” said Westover. “All us at Dale Sorensen Real Estate are honored to be the presenting sponsor of Paddle Dash, supporting the efforts of Keep Indian River Beautiful. This is a really fun event that we all enjoy participating in, our entire community can embrace & together we enjoy that special feeling of making a difference.”

Several DSRE agents and family members placed in their categories. Joe Kovaleski and Don Frederick took 1st Place in the tandem kayak, beginner’s race; Ralph and Julie Wnuk won 2nd Place in the tandem kayaks, intermediate race; Gary and Sam Davino won 3rd Place in tandem kayaks, intermediate race; and Paula Bushell, Andrew Westover, Russ Kelly took 3rd Place in the corporate battle.